The Meir Amit
Intelligence and Terrorism
Information Center
August 23, 2010

[For illustrations:
www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e118.htm ]

Examination of the weapons and equipment found on the Mavi Marmara indicates
that preparations had been made in advance for an active confrontation with
IDF soldiers, contrary to the claims made by IHH about "passive resistance"
only. IHH possessed many offensive weapons, including clubs, bars, axes, and
one or two firearms. 1

Overview

1. The extreme violence demonstrated by IHH operatives and their supporters
in the confrontation with the IDF on board the Mavi Marmara had been, at the
fundamental level, prepared in advance, and carried out by a hard core of
dozens of violent operatives. It required to prepare in advance standard
weapons and to make improvised ones. The standard weapons and the designated
equipment were loaded on the Mavi Marmara in the port of Istanbul without
any security check. Analysis of the weapons and equipment clearly shows that
the plan was active fighting rather than passive resistance, as recently
claimed by IHH operatives and other activists interviewed by the media.

2. The large quantity of both standard and improvised weapons and equipment
found on the Mavi Marmara was designed for the following two uses:

a. Actual weapons meant to harm IDF soldiers attempting to board the ship.
Those weapons include firearms (probably one or two) and a variety of cold
weapons (Molotov cocktails, iron bars, wooden clubs, axes, knives, work
tools, slingshots, stones, as well as assorted and packed nuts and bolts).
Also loaded on the ship were circular saws for cutting railings and chains
to make improvised "offensive" weapons, and probably also to cut climbing
gear used by IDF soldiers.

b. "Defensive" equipment meant to counter IDF activity and reduce injuries
to the violent operatives fighting IDF soldiers. That equipment included
bullet-proof vests (including military-issue ceramic bullet-proof vests),
binoculars, communications devices, night vision goggles, gas masks,
headlamps, and smoke flares. Also loaded on the ship were diving gear and
fishing harpoons, possibly based on the assumption that the Israeli navy
would attempt to hit the ship from underwater. A "field hospital" was also
built on the ship to treat those injured in the confrontation.2

The violent confrontation on the Mavi Marmara: active fighting planned in
advance rather than passive resistance

3. In interviews granted to various media, IHH leader Bulent Yildirim and
other activists who were on board the Mavi Marmara portrayed the fighting
against the IDF as "passive resistance", bringing up the claim that
"non-lethal force" was used for "self defense" against IDF forces.

4. A BBC reporter (Panorama, August 16) showed Bulent Yildirim videos shot
on the Mavi Marmara, in which IHH operatives are seen in a fierce combat
with IDF soldiers using cold weapons (Yildirim did not deny the authenticity
of the videos, claiming, however, that "Israel stole these images from us,
but we are not denying it"). When asked: "That is not passive resistance;
that is fighting, do you see the bars?" he replied: "At this point it had
become beyond passive resistance, because the Israelis had been firing from
the start [a claim that is not true]. These people defended themselves when
being fired at." He further noted, "If we organize another ship and Israel
attempts to board it, we will use our right for passive resistance-we will
throw them into the sea".

5. Other operatives who were on board the Mavi Marmara also admitted that
they had confronted IDF soldiers, claiming they acted out of "self defense"
and used non-lethal force:

a. Eyup Gokhan Ozekin, the advisor to the BBP party3 chairman who took part
in the flotilla on behalf of the party, said that the people had decided to
defend themselves within reasonable limits. "Even Greenpeace activists do
not surrender that easily," he said. He admitted that, prior to the actual
flotilla incident, the Muslim leadership had made a decision to resist any
attempt (by the IDF) to take over the ship, claiming, however, that there
were no weapons on board the Mavi Marmara (Zaman, Turkey, June 3, 2010).

b. Former marine soldier Kenneth O'Keefe, a British and US national who is
listed as an Irish citizen on the passenger list, said the following: "I was
given the opportunity to either be a part of filming or witnessing, or
actively defending the ship, and I made a decision to defend it." [Q:
Although that could lead to confrontation?] "Yeah. the real problem here is
the occupation, the blockade, that is the problem, it must end. Now, if it
requires confrontation in which we use non-lethal force to defend ourselves
and our mission, so be it."

6. When Lubna Masrawa, the Free Gaza coordinator of the flotilla, was asked
whether the (political) goal of drawing attention to the Gaza Strip was
worth the price in human lives (nine operatives who were on board the
Marmara were killed), she said that there is no "resistance" without paying
a price (Panorama, BBC, August 16).4

7. It should be noted that 7 out of the 9 people killed had declared (either
directly or through their relatives and associates) their wish to die as
martyrs.5
Evidence showing IHH operatives had firearms in their possession

8. The information we have indicates that the operatives who fought against
the IDF on board the Mavi Marmara had one or two firearms, at least one of
which was used against the Israeli naval commandos as soon as the first
soldiers rappelled from the helicopter. The operatives threw those weapons
into the sea during the fighting to avoid incriminating themselves. In
addition, IHH operatives used three weapons grabbed from the Israeli naval
commandos against the IDF; two of them appear to have been thrown into the
sea.6

9. According to a testimony from a senior Israeli naval commando officer
(supported by a forensic report), four shells not in use by the IDF were
found on the Mavi Marmara. Furthermore, one Israeli naval commando soldier
was hit by a 9-mm bullet not in use by the IDF as soon as he descended from
the helicopter to the ship (it is unclear what weapon was used; it may have
been a gun). Among the equipment found on the Mavi Marmara was also a
telescopic rifle sight (the rifle itself was not found). Commando soldiers
who took part in the battle also testified that live rounds had been fired
on them.

10. More evidence on the firearms used by the operatives who confronted the
IDF:

a. The captain of the Mavi Marmara, who was questioned by the Israeli naval
commandos (during the fighting) about weapons in the possession of the
operatives, said that the weapons had been thrown into the sea (from a
testimony by a senior commando officer). In an interview granted to a
Turkish newspaper, IHH leader Bulent Yildirim admitted that the weapons
taken from soldiers neutralized by IHH operatives had been thrown into the
sea; it was his claim, however, that they had not been used: "We took their
weapons, and using them would have been considered self defense. We threw
the weapons into the sea, however" (Yakit, June 3, 2010).

b. Communications between the Israeli naval commando soldiers on board the
Mavi Marmara and the boarding operation headquarters show that they were
shot with firearms while on the ship. For example, a soldier is heard
asking: "They had real weapons?" Another soldier shouts (under pressure) in
response: "Yes, yes, real weapons! They're firing on us!... [unclear
sentence, possibly "It's real weapons down here!] .and then [probably
addressing his fellow soldiers]. Live weapons below, be careful! Live
weapons here, be careful!" (Panorama, BBC, August 16, playing back a
recording of the exchange).

Actual weapons

11. Following are the "offensive" weapons found on board the Mavi Marmara:

a. One hundred metal bars of various lengths; the bars had been made from
the railings of the ship. Seven electric circular saws had been loaded on
the ship to cut railings and chains into improvised weapons (iron bars and
iron chains). Bulent Yildirim admitted that his men had used iron bars,
claiming, however, that they did so to defend themselves from the Israeli
commando soldiers (Yakit, June 3). An IHH operative injured in the fighting
(probably on the upper deck of the Mavi Marmara) told a BBC reporter: "At
that point we cut metal bars from the ship. We didn't have many of them. If
the Israelis would reach the ship, we were going to use them. That was our
intention."7

b. Fifty wooden clubs improvised from readily-available items found on the
ship. Also found were standard clubs that had been loaded on the ship and
hidden inside rolled-up blankets.

c. Two hundred knives of various sizes. Most of the knives were taken from
the Mavi Marmara's kitchen and its six cafeterias. In addition, dozens of
packages of knives had been brought on board (each about 7" long) to be used
for combat.

d. Twenty fire axes taken from the ship's fire cabinets.

e. Several Molotov cocktails. A senior Israeli naval commando officer
related that he had seen a stack of Molotov cocktails on board the Mavi
Marmara.

f. One hundred work tools of various kinds.

g. One hundred units of pepper spray.

h. Various kinds of slingshots. Some of the slingshots had inscriptions
saying "Hezbollah". Also found were about 1500 marbles and stones of various
sizes, as well as nuts and bolts intended to be thrown at Israeli naval
commando soldiers.

Defensive equipment

12. The following defensive equipment was found on board the Mavi Marmara:

a. About 150 bullet-proof vests. Some of them were military-issue vests with
a ceramic plate. Imprinted on the vests was the Turkish symbol, the
crescent. The vests were also supposed to be used by the journalists who
covered the fighting.

b. Optical gear: 4 telescopic sights, 20 personal binoculars, 4 night vision
goggles.

c. Communications devices: a significant number of Motorolas for
communication between operatives who took up positions on the ship. The
information we have indicates that each and every hardcore IHH operative was
equipped with a communications device to use during the ship's voyage. One
of the ship's officers testified that communications devices had also been
handed out to the ship's crew; however, they operated on different
frequencies than those given to the IHH operatives.

d. Fifty smoke flares.

e. Three hundred gas masks and another 200 protective filters. A senior
Israeli naval commando officer testified that the operatives on board the
Mavi Marmara had fought with gas masks on for a considerable period of time.

f. One hundred and fifty headlamps.

g. Diving gear: found on board the ship were four complete sets of diving
gear (flippers, goggles, suits, and oxygen tanks) as well as two fishing
harpoons. Diving gear is part of the standard equipment usually found on a
ship. In our assessment, however, it is possible that at least some of that
gear, including the fishing harpoons, was brought on board the ship in
anticipation of an underwater attack on the ship by the Israeli navy.

Weapons which caused injuries to IDF soldiers

13. According to an Israeli navy report, 8 IDF soldiers were injured in the
fighting; three of them sustained serious to moderate injuries. All the
injured soldiers were part of the group which descended from the first
helicopter and was met with strong resistance from the Turkish operatives.

14. The injuries sustained by the IDF soldiers include the following:

a. Two soldiers sustained gunshot injuries. One of them suffered an injury
to his knee from non-IDF ammunition as soon as he descended from the
helicopter; the other suffered an injury to his stomach from an IDF weapon
snatched from one of the soldiers.

b. One soldier was stabbed with a knife.

c. Five soldiers sustained head injuries from axes, clubs, and other tools.

d. Four soldiers sustained arm and leg injuries from club blows.

Note: a number of soldiers were injured by several kinds of weapons, so that
the categories overlap. For example, the soldier who was shot in his knee
was also beaten on his head with an iron bar and stabbed close to his ear
with a knife.
=============
1 This document is based on reports from the Israeli navy, photographs and
documents seized on the ship, and testimonies collected from the ship
passengers. It is a follow-up and update to our June 10, 2010 Information
Bulletin: "Additional information about the violent intentions of the IHH
operatives during the voyage of the Mavi Marmara and the weapons found in
their possession".

2 The operatives injured in the confrontation with the IDF included a
relatively large number of first aid medics (three of them sustained severe
injuries and two sustained mild injuries).

3 A small party established in 2007, apparently an offshoot of the ruling
AKP party.

4 "I was scared, and I was really scared when I saw all the blood. I didn't
want anyone to die, but there is no resistance, there is no freedom, without
paying a price."

5 See our July 13, 2010 Information Bulletin: "According to well-documented
information, seven of the nine Turks killed in the violent confrontation
aboard the Mavi Marmara had previously declared their desire to become
martyr (shaheeds). Eight of them belonged to Islamist Turkish organizations
and not one of them was a peace activist or human rights worker".

6 A senior Israeli naval commando officer related that the Turkish
operatives were highly skilled in the use of the weapons. In one incident, a
gun was snatched from an IDF soldier and was rapidly used against other IDF
soldiers. The gun was found with an empty cartridge and with the bolt locked
back, meaning that all rounds had been fired. Two other weapons snatched
from the first soldiers who rappelled from the helicopter were never found;
it appears they were thrown into the sea.

7 BBC's Panorama, August 16.